• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.175-187
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate whether joint effects between family allergy history and environmental tobacco smoke(ETS) by parents were associated with pediatric asthma and wheezing. Methods: The study objects of this study were 2301 element school students and their parents in an urban-rural areas of Gyeonggi-do. Pediatric asthma and wheezing were identified by measures of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires. We investigated history of parental allergy, ETS, and other socioeconomic status of both parent. Data were analyzed using logistic regression methods. Results: After adjusting other variables, children with maternal asthma history were more likely to be reported life time wheezing (OR: 3.79 95%CI:2.43-5.90), recent wheezing (OR:4.09 95%CI:2.28-7.38), and diagnostic asthma (OR:2.61 95%CI: 1.44-4.75). Paternal asthma history increasing risk of life time wheezing (OR 2.01 95%CI:1.19-3.38) and recent wheezing (OR:2.38 95%CI:1.24-4.56). Joint effect between parental allergy history and ETS significantly effected on child's life time wheezing and recent wheezing. The risks of life time wheezing (OR:2.47 95%CI:1.64-3.717) and recent wheezing (OR: 2.51 95%CI:1.34-4.69) were significantly higher than others without both factors. The risk of recent wheezing of children with maternal recent smoking and parental allergy history (OR:4.83 95%CI:1.89-12.33) was higher than their counterpart. Conclusions: The result of this study implies that children with family allergy history and passive smoking are more likely to be get asthma and wheezing than children with family allergy history and non-passive smoking. This study provide the object information to increase the efficiency of non-smoking campaign and education for decreasing pediatric asthma risk.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.336-343
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• 2000

Purpose: Thallous-201 chloride produced at Korea Cancer Center Hospital(KCCH) is used in detecting cardiovascular disease and cancer. Thallium impurity can cause emesis, catharsis and nausea, so the presence of thallium and other metal impurities should be determined. According to USP and KP, their amounts must be less than 2 ppm in thallium and 5 ppm in total. In this study, the detection method of trace amounts of metal impurities in $[^{201}Tl]$TICI injection with polarography was optimized without environmental contamination. Materials and Methods: For the detection of metal impurities, Osteryoung Square Wave Stripping Voltammetry method was used in Bio-Analytical System (BAS) 50W polarograph. The voltammetry was composed of Dropping Mercury Electrode (DME) as a working electrode, Ag/AgCl as a reference electrode and Pt wire as a counter electrode. Square wave stripping method, which makes use of formation and deformation of amalgam, was adopted to determine the metal impurities, and pH 7 phosphate buffer was used as supporting electrolyte. Results: Tl, Cu and Pb in thallous-201 chloride solution were detected by scanning from 300 mV to -800 mV Calibration curves were made by using $TINO_3,\;CuSO_4\;and\;Pb(NO_3){_2}$ as standard solutions. Tl was confirmed at -450 mV peak potential and Cu at -50 mV Less than 2 ppm of Tl and Cu was detected and Pb was not detected in KCCH-produced thallous-201 chloride injection. Conclusion: Detection limit of thallium and copper is approximately 50 ppb with this method. As a result of this experiment, thallium and other metal impurities in thallous-201 chloride injection, produced at Korea Cancer Center Hospital, are in the regulation of USP and KP Polarograph could be applied for the determination of metal impurities in the quality control of radiopharmaceuticals conveniently without environmental contamination.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.408-414
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to find out optimum cultivated regions for rice organic farming. The organic and conventional rice as control were grown in three different places : secluded hill paddy field for Hapcheon, normal rural paddy field for Sancheong, and suburban paddy field for Jinju from 2005 to 2006. In secluded hill paddy field, the organic material and pesticide to control pest and disease were input twice for organic and conventional rice cultivation. However, in normal rural and suburban paddy field, those were input three times for organic and conventional rice cultivation. The occurrence of sheath blight in organic farming was higher than in conventional farming. Whereas brown planthopper population per 20 plant was significantly high 10.1~19.5 for conventional farming compared with 4.4~10.0 for organic farming. For that reason, the density of the brown planthoppers was higher in organic farming than those in conventional farming. Dominated weeds occurred in organic and conventional paddy field were namely Monochoria vaginalis, Ludwigia prostrata, and Cyperus difformis. The population per 20 plant and dried weight per $m^2$ of weeds were higher in 121 and 50.5 g for organic paddy field. The productivity of rice in different cultivated regions for organic farming was $2.96Mg\;ha^{-1}$ in hill paddy field, $4.03Mg\;ha^{-1}$ in normal rural and suburban paddy field. Toyo-taste value and ratio of perfect grain of milled rice were not different by cultivated regions in both farming system.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.345-362
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• 2023

Anthracnose, caused by the Colletotrichum genus, comprises a significant number of plant pathogens and poses a major threat to fruit production worldwide, including South Korea. Colletotrichum species were identified associated with anthracnose in fruits such as apple, persimmon, plum, peach, jujube, walnut, and grape. A polyphasic approach, including morphology, multigene phylogenetics, and pathogenicity testing, was used. Additionally, the in-vitro sensitivity of identified Colletotrichum species to common fungicides was also evaluated. A total of nine Colletotrichum species within two complexes, namely gloeosporioides and acutatum, have been identified as the causal agents of anthracnose in common fruits in South Korea. In the gloeosporioides complex, we found Colletotrichumaenigma, C. fructicola, C. gloeosporioides, C. horii, C. siamense, and C. viniferum. Meanwhile, in the acutatum complex, C. fioriniae, C. nymphaeae, and C. orientalis were identified. Notably, C. fructicola, C. siamense, C. fioriniae, and C. nymphaeae were reported for the first time from apple, C. siamense, C. fioriniae and C. nymphaeae from plum, C. siamense, C. fructicola, and C. fioriniae frompeach, C. siamense and C. horii from persimmon, C. fioriniae from Omija (Schisandra), C. orientalis from walnut, C. nymphaeae from jujube, and C. aenigma, C. fructicola, and C. siamense fromgrape. Fungicide sensitivity tests revealed significant variation in the EC₅₀ values among specific Colletotrichum species when exposed to different fungicides. Moreover, the same Colletotrichum species isolated from different host plants displayed varying sensitivity to the same fungicide.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.474-480
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• 2016

In this study, formation background of biodiversity and its changes in the process of geologic history, and effects of climate change on biodiversity and human were discussed and the alternatives to reduce the effects of climate change were suggested. Biodiversity is 'the variety of life' and refers collectively to variation at all levels of biological organization. That is, biodiversity encompasses the genes, species and ecosystems and their interactions. It provides the basis for ecosystems and the services on which all people fundamentally depend. Nevertheless, today, biodiversity is increasingly threatened, usually as the result of human activity. Diverse organisms on earth, which are estimated as 10 to 30 million species, are the result of adaptation and evolution to various environments through long history of four billion years since the birth of life. Countlessly many organisms composing biodiversity have specific characteristics, respectively and are interrelated with each other through diverse relationship. Environment of the earth, on which we live, has also created for long years through extensive relationship and interaction of those organisms. We mankind also live through interrelationship with the other organisms as an organism. The man cannot lives without the other organisms around him. Even though so, human beings accelerate mean extinction rate about 1,000 times compared with that of the past for recent several years. We have to conserve biodiversity for plentiful life of our future generation and are responsible for sustainable use of biodiversity. Korea has achieved faster economic growth than any other countries in the world. On the other hand, Korea had hold originally rich biodiversity as it is not only a peninsula country stretched lengthily from north to south but also three sides are surrounded by sea. But they disappeared increasingly in the process of fast economic growth. Korean people have created specific Korean culture by coexistence with nature through a long history of agriculture, forestry, and fishery. But in recent years, the relationship between Korean and nature became far in the processes of introduction of western culture and development of science and technology and specific natural feature born from harmonious combination between nature and culture disappears more and more. Population of Korea is expected to be reduced as contrasted with world population growing continuously. At this time, we need to restore biodiversity damaged in the processes of rapid population growth and economic development in concert with recovery of natural ecosystem due to population decrease. There were grand extinction events of five times since the birth of life on the earth. Modern extinction is very rapid and human activity is major causal factor. In these respects, it is distinguished from the past one. Climate change is real. Biodiversity is very vulnerable to climate change. If organisms did not find a survival method such as 'adaptation through evolution', 'movement to the other place where they can exist', and so on in the changed environment, they would extinct. In this respect, if climate change is continued, biodiversity should be damaged greatly. Furthermore, climate change would also influence on human life and socio-economic environment through change of biodiversity. Therefore, we need to grasp the effects that climate change influences on biodiversity more actively and further to prepare the alternatives to reduce the damage. Change of phenology, change of distribution range including vegetation shift, disharmony of interaction among organisms, reduction of reproduction and growth rates due to odd food chain, degradation of coral reef, and so on are emerged as the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Expansion of infectious disease, reduction of food production, change of cultivation range of crops, change of fishing ground and time, and so on appear as the effects on human. To solve climate change problem, first of all, we need to mitigate climate change by reducing discharge of warming gases. But even though we now stop discharge of warming gases, climate change is expected to be continued for the time being. In this respect, preparing adaptive strategy of climate change can be more realistic. Continuous monitoring to observe the effects of climate change on biodiversity and establishment of monitoring system have to be preceded over all others. Insurance of diverse ecological spaces where biodiversity can establish, assisted migration, and establishment of horizontal network from south to north and vertical one from lowland to upland ecological networks could be recommended as the alternatives to aid adaptation of biodiversity to the changing climate.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.277-289
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• 2012

The total number of requests and associated specimens for the diagnosis of virus infection were 573 and 2,992, respectively, on crops from agricultural places of farmers, Agricultural extension services and so forth for 5 years from 2007. The total number of virus tests was 13,325. The number of species of viruses infected on the submitted crops was 21 in 2007, 15 in 2008, 23 in 2009, 21 in 2010 and 17 in 2011. The newly recorded viruses were Tobacco leaf curl virus (TbLCV) in 2007, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in 2008, Impatience necrotic spot virus (INSV) and Radish mosaic virus (RaMV) in 2009, and Beet western yellows virus (BWYV) in 2010. Forty virus species including Alfalfa mosaic virus were detected over 5 years. The ten most frequently detected virus species were Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Tomato leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), Broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2), Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV). The types of crops submitted from agricultural places were 51 in total and the ten most frequently submitted crops were red pepper, tomato, paprika, watermelon, melon, rice, cucumber, corn, radish and gourd. The total request rate for the top 10 crops and top 20 crops was 81.6% and 94.2%, respectively. Eight pepper infecting virus species included CMV, and the average infection rate was 24.6% for CMV, 18.9% for PMMoV and 14.7% for TSWV. Seven kinds of double infection were detected in pepper including BBWV2+CMV at 14.7% on average, and four types of triple infection including BBWV2+CMV+PepMoV at 0.9% on average. Six virus species detected on tomato including TYLCV, and the average infection rate was 50.6% for TYLCV, 14.5% for TSWV and 10.9% for Tobacco leaf curl virus (TbLCV). The mixed infection of CMV+TSWV on tomato was 3.9% on average and of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV)+TYLCV was 0.4% on average. Five viruses detected on watermelon included MNSV and the average infection rate was 37.0% for MNSV, 20.4% for CGMMV, 18.1% for ZYMV and 17.8% for WMV. The mixed infection rate on watermelon was CMV+MNSV and WMV+ZYMV having an average infection rate of 0.7% and 5.0%, respectively. The average infection rates on melon were 77.6% for MNSV, 5.6% for CMV and 3.3% for WMV. Mixed infections of CMV+MNSV occurred on melon with an average infection rate of 13.5%.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.66-76
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• 2014

Resistance of one hundred commercialized cultivars of chili pepper to four isolates of Phytophthora capsici was evaluated under controlled environmental conditions. The cultivars are commercialized as resistant (59%) and susceptible (41%) to Phytophthora blight in Korea. Mean disease severities of the cultivars on P. capsici MY-1, KPC-1, JHAI1-7, and KPC-7 isolates were 37, 55, 60, and 74%, respectively. In addition, 38 for MY-1, 48 for KPC-1, 56 for JHAI1-7, and 76 cultivars for KPC-7 showed susceptibility. To P. capsici MY-1, the weakest pathogenicity isolate among them, 59 cultivars represented high resistance. By contrast, only six cultivars showed high resistance to P. capsici KPC-7, the strongest isolate. Furthermore, resistance of most cultivars except for three cultivars was negatively correlated with the virulence of P. capsici isolates. And isolate-specific resistance of the chili pepper cultivars could not be found. Among them, six cultivars showing resistance to all the tested isolates were selected for further study. The development of Phytophthora blight on the six cultivars according to inoculum density ($5{\times}10^4$ to $1.5{\times}10^6$ sporangia/pot) and incubation temperature (25 to $30^{\circ}C$) after inoculation of P. capsici was tested. Resistance of the cultivars to P. capsici KPC-1 and JHAI1-7, moderately pathogenic isolates, was hardly affected. But to KPC-7 isolate, the highly resistant cultivars showed susceptiblility or moderate resistance when the seedlings were inoculated with inoculum density of $1.5{\times}10^6$ sporangia/pot and incubated at 28 to $30^{\circ}C$. From these results, it is likely that resistance of chili pepper cultivars to Phytophthora blight is affected by the virulence of P. capsici isolate.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of our new video-assisted asthma education program on patients' knowledge regarding asthma and asthma control. Methods: Adult asthmatics who were diagnosed by primary care physicians and followed for at least 1 year were educated via smart devices and pamphlets. The education sessions were carried out three times at 2-week intervals. Each education period lasted at most 5 minutes. The effectiveness was then evaluated using questionnaires and an asthma control test (ACT). Results: The study enrolled 144 patients (mean age, $56.7{\pm}16.7years$). Half of the patients had not been taught how to use their inhalers. After participating in the education program, the participants' understanding of asthma improved significantly across all six items of a questionnaire assessing their general knowledge of asthma. The proportion of patients who made errors while manipulating their inhalers was reduced to less than 10%. The ACT score increased from $16.6{\pm}4.6$ to $20.0{\pm}3.9$ (p<0.001). The number of asthmatics whose ACT score was at least 20 increased from 45 (33.3%) to 93 (65.3%) (p<0.001). The magnitude of improvement in the ACT score did not differ between patients who received an education session at least three times within 1 year and those who had not. The majority of patients agreed to the need for an education program (95.8%) and showed a willingness to pay an additional cost for the education (81.9%). Conclusion: This study indicated that our newly developed education program would become an effective component of asthma management in primary care clinics.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2005

Background : Airborne particles during Yellow Sand phenomena are known to be associated with the respiratory disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration and metal component properties of Yellow Sand particles and compare with airborne microbial concentration and species in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. Methods : Samplings were carried out in 2002 in Seosan, during non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. Samples were taken using the 8-stage Cascade impactor and metallic elements were analyzed by XRF. Those were culture on the media for bacterial and fungal culture and celline for virus. Results : The concentration of total suspended particulate matter were respectively $80.2{\mu}g/m^3$, $40.3{\mu}g/m^3$ in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. The concentration of metallic elements such as Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. Two bacteria, Bacillus species and Staphylococcus were grown in two periods. In both periods, several fungal spores(Mucor species, Cladosporum, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria species) were identified. The differences of bacteria and fungus species not observed in Yellow Sand and non Yellow Sand. Any viruses were not isolated in between both periods. Conclusions : The concentration of total suspended particulate matter and some metallic elements in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. The difference of bacteria and fungus species was not observed in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.365-373
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• 2007

Background: Smoking is one of the most important leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Smoking habit is recognized as nicotine dependence, which consists of physical and psychosocial dependence. To evaluate social nicotine dependence, the Kano Test for Social Nicotine Dependence (KTSND) working group developed a new questionnaire, which consists of 10 questions with a total score of 30 in Japan. We examined the social nicotine dependence among healthy adults using the new KTSND questionnaire and evaluated validity of the KTSND questionnaire in Korea. Method: We applied Korean KTSND questionnaire version 2 to employees of hospital, university students and people for medical examination and promotion test. Complete data obtained from the 741 responders were analyzed. Result: The mean age of responders was 31.8 years. Among them, males were 57.8%. Current smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers were 13.8%, 12.8%, and 73.4% respectively. According to smoking status, the total KTSND scores of current smokers were significantly higher than those of ex-smokers, and of non-smokers ($17.1{\pm}5.4$ versus $14.3{\pm}5.5$, and $12.3{\pm}5.5$, $p{\leq}0.001$). The total KTSND scores of males were higher than those of females, suggesting that males have a propensity for depending nicotine socially much more than females ($14.3{\pm}5.7$ and $11.7{\pm}5.4$ respectively, p<0.001). Eight of ten questions produced significantly different scores among three different smoking groups. When current smokers were sub-classified by heavy smoking index (HSI) that represented physical nicotine dependence, we did not find a significant difference of KTSND score between low HSI group (<4) and high HSI group (${\geq}4$), This finding suggested that the psychosocial dependence might play a different role from physical nicotine dependence in smoking. Most of the non-smokers (62.5%) had an experience of harmful passive smoking especially in public place. Conclusion: Our study suggested that the KTSND questionnaire could be a useful method to evaluate psychosocial aspects of smoking.